Process of filling packages.



A. M. BATES. PROCESS OF FILLING PACKAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1913.

Patented July 21, 1914.

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PROCESS OF FILLING PACKAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1913. 1,10%,726. Patented July 21, 19m

2 SHEETS-$131331 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADELMEB, MARCUS BATES, or "CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOIB, ro BATES VALVE BAG COMPANY, or CHIOAGO, ILLINOIS, a CORPORATION or WEST VIRGINIA.

PROCESS 'OF FILLING ?AGKAGES.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Continuation of application Serial No. 683,667, filed March 14, 1912. This application filed January 27,

intended to hold a considerable amount of weight of material, and particularly such packages as are closed or finished andnntended to be filled through a small opening.

I have especially applied it to the filling of barrels through bung holes.

The process has particular reference to filling such packages by a relatively loose continuous swiftly moving current of ma terial until the package is approximately full and then continuing the process by forcing in enough more material to bring the total contents up to the required amount. The object, of course, is to thoroughly compact and in most cases accurately fill the package with a certain predetermined amount of material and to do this rapidly and through a small opening. A great deal of difficulty is experienced in attempting to fill packages, for instance barrels, with exact predetermined quantities of material and compacting the same and securing the 'closure of the barrel in position after such filling and compacting.

Broadly speaking, the process may be said to consist in first inserting the ma]or increment of the material into the package by a swiftly. moving current and then inserting the remainder of the material and packing the material in the bag by means of a current moving more slowly but under much greater pressure. The process as I have actually employed it includes also the idea of successive minor charges of material being forced in during the second stage of the filling. These minor charges may be as here illustratedfurnished by some means which feeds the swiftly moving current so that from another point of view the process may be said to consist in inserting the major increment of material by a continuous feeding and then inserting the remain- Serial No. 744,283.

der by the combined effect of the first stage method of feeding and the second stage method.

l have illustrated my invention or method pf employing it in the accompanying drawmgs, which are to be taken as purely diagrammatic and intended to disclose not all of any given operating mechanism, but only so much of a hypothetical structure as might be necessary to a clear understanding of the process. The process should be carried out by various kinds of machines, or indeed more or less by hand, although in an application soon to be filed I shall disclose that particular machine or apparatus which I have designed for the purpose of carrying out this process.

In the filling of large packages, and sometimes, of course, in the filling of small ones it is necessary to supply to a given package a specific amount of material and in many cases it is desirable to inclose this specific amount of material in the smallest possible package. Now, in the eifort to fill packages rapidly by means of relatively small feeding tubes or their relatively small apertures, such as the valved aperture of a valve bag or the bunghole or similar aperture, itis desirable to perform the first filling act or to insert in the package the major part of what it is to contain by rapidl operating devices or in other words to soot a small but swiftly moving stream into the package, preferably through such small aperture. Such a method of filling, however, will not result ordinarily in compacting the material or compressing it within the package and therefore the package will be filled with less than the necessary quantity. The package may then be shaken so as to settle the material or this shaking process may be carried on from time to time while the filling is going on. I obviate all these and other difficulties by first inserting as suggested into the package by a rapidly moving small stream the major part of the maicrial required until the package is substantially full. I then force a small stream of such material into the package by a relatively slow but powerful compressing movement. In actual experience a package containing say 375 pounds of material will receive 350 pounds by a rapidlv moving filling stream in say ten seconds and the remainder or 25 pounds will then be forced in under high pressure, say in 15 seconds. Of course, the process relates to the filling of such packages with ulverized, finely divided solid or'approxlmately solid material and the second or slow filling step is, of course, preferably applied to a measured increment sutlicient to gfve the package its desired content. It is preferable to insert the large increment by a continuous stream and the small increment by a discontinuous stream.

Havingin mind the particular form of apparatus here illustrated, it will be observed that the continuously operating feeder operating alone fills the package with its major increment. Then the discontinuance feeder is thrown into operation and the two work simultaneously the first delivering a charge so to speak to the passageway in front of the plunger of the discontinuous feeder and the latter then forcing this charge with great pressure into the package. plunger of the discontinnous feeder is preferably conical at its end so as to act as a wedge.

The actual operation presents interesting features. The continuously acting feeder rapidly feeds into the package the major increment by a small swiftly moving current and this operation is continued until the packageis substantially filled with uncompacted material. The discontinuous feeder is now set into operation and its plunger moves forwardly at each stroke cutting oif the inlet from the continuous feeder and forcing the material in the tube ahead of it into the package. This, of course, gives the discontinuous feeder an opportunity to apply any desired amount of pressure and in the actual filling of cem nt barrels the pressure is very considerable, and as the process continues toward completion the hole in the material left by the retreating plunger of the discontinuous feeder tends, of course, to contract so that it becomes harder and harder to force the charge of material into the package, and in the end a point is reached where the material in the package is thoroughly compacted and that, too, in an otherwise complete and finished package.

The particular mechanism which I have employed for the urpose is illustrated in the accompanying rawings and-may be described as follows: I have used in my claims and description matter several terms which ought to be ex lain'ed or defined. I have spoken of intro ucing material in a stream. I do not mean by that to confine myself to a continuously and uniformly moving body as, of course, the rate of motion and density of the stream may be varied. By the term discontinuous I mean such a stream as is indition.

The

terrupted or broken so that while it may be in a general sense called a stream, it is a series of separated portions successively moving. The material is powdery and, of course, the invention is particularly applicable to materials that are actually in a powdery con- I mean by that term to indicate granular or other such materials as are adapted to be inclosed in packages. By the term package I mean either barrel, box or bag, although it is probable-that my invention is particularly applicable to the filling of barrels. The terms major and, minor increments are adopted as a convenient way of expressing the idea that there are two increments which are treated in different ways and that the first is relatively large. Of course, the relative sizes of these increments could greatly vary. The speed of operation, of course, can be varied through a wide range, the desirable point being to carry on the filling process proper or that portion of the process whereby the major increment is introduced loosely by a swiftly moving stream so as to get the material in a merely filling condition into the package as rapidly as possible. The preferred way of then compacting it is to operate by a series of plunger blows on relatively small masses or portions of the remaining increments.

The wedge action of the discontinuous feeder, which occurs owing to its conical point, results in transmitting the pressure through the body of the material rapidly in all'directions from the line of the feeder as well as forwardly in line with the feeder. It will be understood, of course, that the area of greatest pressure will be in a cone projecting forwardly from the forward end of the feeder or plunger and that. therefore, if this plunger always projected an equal distance into the package, you would have a cone-shaped area at the end removed from the filling hole very closely packed and the area between this cone and the filling end of the package would be not so closely packed. To prevent this differential packing I provide means whereby as the density from the pressure exerted upon it reaches a certain point the inward excursion of the plunger progressively decreases until this cone is carried clear back to the end of the barrel, thus givinga substantially uniform pressure or compactness throughout the entire barrel or package. It will be evident that this com pacting must, extend through the entire barrel or package because, otherwise, as the package is moved about, tipped over or rolled along, this tightly compacted mass will tend to separate from the loose material surrounding it and act as a kind of battering ram to compact the loose material which when done will leave the barrel filled with tightly compacted and separated groups which will then be free to move about withform in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly sectional, the section being taken in a plane axial in regard to the plunger; ,Fig. 3 a section along the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a section along the line 44 of Fig. 2;Fig. 5 a section similar to Fig. 4 showing a slight modification.

A, A are side frame members mounted upon the channel base A A A A are tie members holding the frame members A, A together.

A, A are brackets projectin upwardly from the cross piece A of the rame members A, A and provided with the angular knife sockets A, A covered by the protecting caps A, A The scale beam A is supported by the knife edges A resting within the knife sockets A. U

A is a counterbalancing weight adj ustably mounted upon .the screw A 9 on the scale beam.

A is a weight supported from one end of the scale beam A by the knife edge A".

B is a package supporting frame rest-ing upon the knife edge B on the scale beam A and steadied and guided at its upper end by the links B pivotally mounted on the tie piece A The books B, B project inwardly from the frame B toward the ends of the frames A, A and are in slidable contact with the flanges B", B arranged along the front edges of the frame members. The books B are tied, together at a point adjacent their ends by the yoke B The downwardly curved cradle bar B is supported by the hooks B and supports one end of the package or barrel to be filled. The package is supported at the other end by the .downw ardly curved cradle bar B supported pivo'tally upon the levers B, B which are rigidly mounted on the curved shaft B, which shaft is" pivotally mounted and carries the ontrolling lever B working in the quadn nt B. The filling throat B is supported on the frame B, and is provided with a part B in lieu of the bung'of the barrel and the shoulder B to rest against the head of the barrel around the bung. The yoke B projects outwardly from the frame B and has screw-threaded therein the adjusting screw 13 controlled by the hand wheel B". \by which the foot B may be pressed against one end of the barrel to seat it snugly against the shoulder B.

The cylindrical propeller pocket C is mounted upon the frame members A, A and contains the vane propeller C on the shaft C adapted to be driven by any suitable source of power applied throughthe tight and loose pulleys C '0. The passage C discharges into the propeller pocket C and is fed from the supply bin C. The measuring wheel C is interposed between the bin and the pocket C and controls the flow of material through the passage C The measuring wheel C is adapted to be driven from the propeller shaft.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be noted that the propeller pocket has opposed conical Walls C joined by a cylindrical wall G which wall has, however, about the lower portion of its periphery the inwardly raised semi-circular projection C. The vanes C of the propeller X have inclined sides to conform closely tothe conical wall C and their ends are circularly raised as indicated at C to engage the parts C 9. The lower portion of the propeller pocket is cut away as indicated at to form a discharge port discharging into the feeding tube D. This feeding tube is circular in cross-section and is so arranged with respect to the propeller pocket C that an extension of the inner peripheral line of the propeller pocket wall is tangent to the center line of the tube. In this'tube is reciprocably mounted the conieally pointed feeding or packing plunger D which, as shown in Fig. 4, fits snugly into the semi-circular recesses in the ends of the propeller vanes. The feeding tube D is normally in register with the throat 13. The plunger D is slidable in the sleeve D The cross-head D is slidably mounted at either end in the guideways D in the frame members A and carries the upwardly projecting lug D which supports and is slidable with respect to the plunger D which passes through a perforation therein. From this lug roject rearwardly on either side the arms D within which are slidably mounted the rods D. The yoke D is rigidly mounted on the plunger D and carries adjustably screw-threaded therein the rods D locked in position by the nuts D The springs D surround the rods 1) and are adapted to be compressed between the heads D on the ends of the rods and the flange D projecting outwardlv from the arms D has the, rods D slidable with respect to said flanges and said arms. The shaft D is rotatably mounted in the frame A and carries on either end the crank disks D upon which are pivotally mounted the connecting rods D which are pivotally mounted at the other end on the pins D on opposed ends of the cross-head D The shaft E carries the sprocket K which by means of the sprocket chain K drives the sprocket. 1' rigidly attached to a clutch memher K which member is rotatably mounted on the worm shaft K The clutch member K is keyed to the worm shaft K. worm K is integral with the shaft K and in mesh with the worm wheel K The sprocket E is rotatably mounted on the shaft D adapted to be driven through the sprocket chainlfl from a sprocket E on a shaft E which shaft in turn is connected by means of the gears E and E with the propeller shaft. The sprocket E carries the clutch disk E provided with the conical hole E therein. The clutch sleeve E is splined on the shaft D and carries an arm E upon which is mounted a conical pin E adapted. to enter the conical hole E The spring E yieldingly presses the clutch sleeve E toward the disk E The sleeve E is provided with a cylindrical cam E in opposition to a cam roller E on a sliding shaft E. The lever E? is pivoted on the member A and is in opposition at one end to the pin E on the shaft E and adapted to draw the cam roller thereon out of engagement with the cylindrical cam E and at the other end of the pin E?- on the worm wheel K The bell crank lever L is pivotally mounted on the member A and carries the pin L at one end in engagement with the slot L in the clutch member R The link L is provided at one end with the elongated eye L in slidable engagement with the pin L on the bell crank lever L and is at the other end in pivotal engagement with the handoperated lever L. The link L has adjacent its pivotal connection with the lever L a large slotted member L in slidable and pivotal engagement with the pin L on the bell crank lever L which lever is at its other end pivoted to the shutter L apertured at L to control the feeding tube D The lever M is pivotally mounted on one of the frames A at one end and at the other end is pivotally mounted on the link L Intermediate the two pivotal points it is pivoted to a solenoid G.

It will be noted that when the operator pushes back on the lever. L he will slide the shutter L inwardly to bring the aperture L in register with the feeding tube and allow the feeding to take place. This imini'pulatioiu',meanwhile, will throw the bell crank lever L around. to bring the clutch members K K into engagement thus rotating the worm wheel EU. The retation of the worm wheel K will finally bring the pin :5 about as indicated by the arrow until it strikes the lever E to con; tact the pin E and draw the roller E out of engagement with cam E thus bringeni "W E and lid ing the clutch members gage and cause the cross head l: ciprocate. The feeding and packi; ger will thus move back for The sponse to the rotation of the shaft D until the package has been filled. When this occurs the weight will be overbalanced, the package and scale descend and the terminal G will dip into the mercury cup G and close the circuit by means of the conductors G G and G through a source of electric power G and the solenoid G to throw the shaft E and the cam rollenE back againstthe sleeve E when the rotation of the sleeve willcause the cam E to ride up alon the roller E thus withdrawing the pin against the pressure of the spring. This movement of the solenoid will at the same time throw the shutter L across the mouth of the feeding tube and stop the feed and will also disengage the clutch so as to stop the mo\ cment of the worm gear ready for the next cycle of operation.

The scale beam A is provided with a frame H located back of the fulcrum of the scale and so arranged with respect to the scale beam that when the feeding throat and feeding tube are in register the upper portion of this frame is in a horizontal position. The roller H mounted on the brackets H depending from the cross-head D will ride along this frame H and the parts are so arranged that only when the feeding or packing plunger is completely withdrawn fromthe feeding throat is it possible for the scale beam to tip, being held as it is in the upper position by the pressure of the roller on the frame H.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 5 is a detail cross-section through the bottom of the feeding pocket and feeding. tube along a line similar to the line -l'l of Fig. 2 when showing the modified form. Here the plunger Xis smaller in cross-sectional area than the tube D and thus the power required to operate this plunger and the increments fed by vanes and by the plunger at each reciprocation of the plunger will be comparatively smaller thus permitting very accurate measurement. In such a condition as this, of course, the vane X will fit down almost completely around the plunger, as indicated, thus giving a better action of the vane than in the case of Fig. 4 where the vane has a comparatively large aperture therein to permit the passage of the plunger D lVhile Ihave shown in my drawing an operative device,v still many changes might be made in the size, shape and arrangement of parts without departing materially from the spirit of my invention. I wish, therefore, that my drawing be regarded as in a. sense diagrammatic.

The shaft upon wh'ch the gear C is mounted, is provided with the sprocket Q} and is driven by means of a chain from the cket Q on the sh E. moving )ili, rorm or carrier is provided at the the head of the barrel. He manipulates the dumping lever so as to raise the rear end or the barrel until the barrel is in a substantially horizontal position. The lever is then locked by means of the segment and thehand wheel will be tightened up to seat the barrel snugly against the shoulder of the feeding throat. The operatorthen presses back the hand lever to open the feeding tube and the material will then be discharged by the profcompressed or compacted mass of powdery peller vanes into the barrel or packagein a rapidly moving stream or jet which enters the barrel and fills it with a loosely compacted mass of material and this filling will continue until the pressure in the barrel or 1 package has reached that point at which the centrifugally discharged vanes are no longer able to pump the material against pressure.

Meanwhile, however since the movement of the lever will have thrown the clutch on the worm shaft, the Worm gear will have been rotating and, b a suitable proportion of parts which wi l have been discovered by experiment or which could be computed, the worm gear will rotate in the time it takesto fill the barrel by means of the loosely compacted stream. .The pin on the worm gear will then tip the cam roller and free the conical cam, thus permitting the clutch on the rear shaft D to'be engaged and the reciprocation of the cross-head will then commence. The plunger will project way into the barrel at each stroke, leaving a hole. The vanes will drive the material into the hole. The plunger will then pack this material tight. This process continues until the pressure at the end of the plunger reaches a certain predetermined point depending on the compactness desired. When this point is reached the springs driving the plunger will be enabled to force it clear to the end of its maximum length stroke and part of the stroke of the cross-heads and will continue without movement of the plunger, the springs being compressed. Thus, as the pressure increases the length of the plunger will progressively diminish without any change in the length of the stroke of the cross head and finally, as the pressure is increased from the end of the package inwardly, theba'rrel will be progressively packed clear to the filling head. The barrel by this time will have reached the desired weight, the weighing mechanism will operate, the scale will tip, the circuit will be completed through the mercury cup and the solenoid will operate to throw the lever, disengage the clutch, and stop the feed leaving the device in suitable position to commence filling the second package.

It will be noted that the frame on the- 1 683,667, filed March 14, 1912.

I claim: 1. The process of filling packages with a material which consists in inserting the j major increment by a filling stream and then i the nnnor increment by a compacting stream.

2. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the 5 major increment of such material by a small 5 filling stream and then the minor increment by a compacting stream.

3. The process of filling packages with a .compressed or compacted mass of powdery l material which conslsts 1n inserting the major increment of such material by'a small filling stream and then the minor increment by a small compacting stream.

4:. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small swiftly moving stream and then the minor increment by a small compacting stream.

5. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small swiftly movingjstream and then the minor increment by a smallslowly moving compacting stream.

6. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material quickly in a non-compacted condition and then the minor increment by a compacting stream or mass, both increments being inserted through the same filling opening.

'7. The process of filling packages with a compressedor compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small swiftly-moving non-compacting stream and thenthe minor increment by a small com-.

' pacting stream.

material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small continuous filling stream and then the minor increment by a discontinuous compacting stream.

11. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small filling stream and then the minor increment by a small compacting stream.

12. The process of filling packa es with a compressed or compacted mass 0 powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small swiftly moving stream. and then the minor increment by a small compacting stream.

13. The process of filling packa es with a compressed or compacted mass 0 powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of. such material by a small swiftly moving continuous stream and then the minor increment by a small slowly moving compacting stream.

14. The process of filling packa 'es with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small continuous filling stream and then the minor increment by a small discontinuous compacting stream.

15. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small swiftly movingcontinuous stream and then the minor increment by a' small discontinuous compacting stream.

16. The process of filling packa es with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material which consists in inserting the major increment of such material by a small swiftly moving continuous stream and then the minor increment by a small discontinuous slowly moving compacting stream.

17. The process of filling packages with compressed or, compacted powdery material which consists in forcing by means of a small but swiftly moving stream the major increment of the material into the package so as to substantially fill the same without compacting the material therein, then forcing the remaining increment of the measured amount by means of a forced compacting stream so as to fill and compact the material within the package.

18. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of powdery material through a small or valved opening which consists in forcing a loose swiftly moving small stream of material through such opening to quickly fill the major part of the material into the package, then forcing the remainder of the measured quantity of material necessary to fill the package through such small opening under high pressure to compact the material within the package. I

19. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of a powdery material through a small or valved opening which consists in forcing a loose swiftly moving small stream of material through such opening to quickly fill the major part of the material into the package, then forcing the remainder of the measured quantity of-matcrial necessary to fill the package through such small opening under high pressure to compact the material within the package by successive increments separately forced into the package.

20. The process of filling packages with a compressed or compacted mass of a powdery material through a small opening which consists in inserting by a swift stream through such opening the major increment of such material and then inserting the minor increment through the same opening by successively forcing under high pressure a series of charges tlierethrough.

21. The process of filling packages with a compacted mass of finely divided material which consists in first loosely filling the package and then forcing increments of material in a compacting stream into the loosely filled package the distance through which the increments penetrate into the package progressively decreasing as the pressure in the package increases.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 21st day of January 1913.

ADELMER MARCUS BATES.

Vitnesses MINNIE M. LINDENAN, LAUREL M. DonnMus. 

